Two Gunmen Killed Outside Prophet Mohammad Cartoon Contest As They Tried To Shoot Into Event

 

Two gunmen have been shot dead after opening fire outside a conference on cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in a suburb of Dallas, US police say.

They drove to the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland as the event was ending, and began shooting at a security officer before being killed by police.

The bomb squad has been called in to search their vehicle for explosives. The event, organised by a group critical of Islam, included a contest for drawings of the Prophet.

One of the keynote speakers was the Dutch politician Geert Wilders, an outspoken critic of Islam in Western societies.

Security had been tight, but Garland police said there had been no credible threats in advance, and it was not immediately clear if the shootings were related to the event.

ABC news reported that one of the suspects had been identified as Elton Simpson, an Arizona man who had been previously investigated on suspicion of terrorism offences.

 

 The conference centre was locked down after the shooting

Dutch politician Geert Wilders released a picture of himself with police in SWAT gear which he said was taken just before the attack